Canadian War Museum presents the best in photojournalism in World Press Photo Exhibition 2017

Canadian War Museum

The Canadian War Museum presents, for the tenth year running, the winning images from the annual World Press Photo competition.

Opened July 21, the World Press Photo Exhibition 2017 features 152 large-format photographs, including images by three Canadians. Together, the photographs present a powerful examination of the year’s events, from politics to poverty to pastimes, and a window onto the contemporary human experience.

“It’s an honour to once again showcase the world’s best photojournalism, and to be the first venue in Canada to host this hard-hitting, impactful exhibition,” said Stephen Quick, Director General of the Canadian War Museum. “The World Press Photo Exhibition 2017 greatly expands the reach of visual journalism, and of photographers committed to documenting personal stories and contemporary issues.”

The overall winner was Burhan Ozbilici’s dramatic photograph capturing the assassination of Russian ambassador Andrey Karlov, in an art gallery in Ankara, Turkey, on December 19, 2016. The jury described it as “an explosive image that really spoke to the hatred of our times.” Ozbilici’s images of the shooting also took first prize in the Spot News category.

Three Canadian photojournalists won awards. Amber Bracken of Edmonton won first prize (Stories) in Contemporary Issues for her five-week series on the Dakota Access Pipeline standoff at Standing Rock, North Dakota. Giovanni Capriotti of Toronto earned first prize (Stories) in the Sports category for his stereotype-busting portfolio of the Muddy York Rugby Football Club — a gay men’s rugby team — both on and off the field. And Darren Calabrese of Halifax took third prize (Stories) in Sports for his images of CrossFit athlete Lindsay Hilton, born without full limbs, as she tackles gruelling workouts using adaptive equipment made from common hardware.

Other award-winning photos in the exhibition document refugees fleeing Africa and the Middle East, the Zika-virus outbreak, the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States, and ongoing armed conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya.

The World Press Photo Foundation, which organizes the annual competition, is a non-profit organization committed to supporting and advancing high standards in photojournalism and documentary storytelling worldwide. Its aim is to generate wide public interest in, and appreciation of, the work of photographers and other visual journalists, while also promoting the free exchange of information.

The World Press Photo Exhibition 2017, which will tour 100 cities in 45 countries, is developed and circulated by World Press Photo and is presented at the Canadian War Museum in partnership with the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The World Press Photo Foundation receives support from the Dutch Postcode Lottery and is sponsored worldwide by Canon. Following its presentation in Ottawa, the exhibition will travel to Montréal, Toronto and Chicoutimi, Quebec.

The winning photographs will be on display in the War Museum’s Barney Danson Theatre fromJuly 21 to August 13, 2017.